Criminal Minds: The Copycat of the Redmond Ripper
by kkkcnmnc
Summary: On JJ's first case back, the team investigates the murders of a copycat of the Redmond Ripper. Seaver must confront her father, whom she hasn't spoken to since he was arrested. Reid/Seaver
1. The Copycat

She could hear the twigs snap on the ground. She was frozen in fear, not knowing what to do. Should she run as fast as she can through these dark woods? Or should she stay still and pray he'll forget about her? She decided her next move when she heard a whisper behind, "Boo."

She screamed and ran as fast as she could. She felt her heart pounding hard in her chest. It was too dark to see where she was going but she kept running anyway. Then the most horrible thing happened. She tripped. Her jaw bounced on the hard, cold ground. She sobbed and begged her pursuer, "Please, don't kill me. Please…"

He bent down and smiled at her and whispered, "I'm not going to kill you…yet. First, we're going to have some fun."

Morgan, Seaver, and Reid were sitting at the round table. The tree of them looked at each other. Morgan asked, "What are we doing here? We're missing three people."

Reid rubbed his temples and said, "Don't yell. Garcia said that there's a case."

"I was not yelling," Morgan said, "I was just asking a question. Anyways, what's wrong with you? You look worse than usual."

Seaver glared at Morgan and was just about to say something when the door burst open. A very happy looking Garcia came in following the other two missing agents. The last one to come in was a very familiar blonde. Reid stopped rubbing his temples to exclaim, "JJ!"

"Hey Spence, Morgan, Seaver. Guess what? I'm back," JJ said with a grin on her face.

"JJ is returning to continue her work as media liaison. I would love to catch up on things but Garcia has something for us," Hotch said as he took a seat. JJ and Rossi also sat down.

"I missed this seat," JJ said, getting comfortable.

"What are you talking about?" Morgan inquired. "That was your seat." He nodded toward Seaver.

"What? Oh, yeah. You want it back?" Seaver asked.

"It is just a seat," Hotch said, irritated with the talking. He looked at Garcia and said, "Go ahead."

"Alright. In North Dakota, there's been a long stream of murders. The five victims were raped and stabbed. The unsub also cut off their fingers and feet while they were still alive. He lets them bleed out," Garcia told the team. She pulled up five photos of attractive blonde women. "This sicko's type seems to be blondes in their mid 20s to mid 30s. The last victim, Sarah Morris, was found yesterday. She died about a week ago. The unsub doesn't have the same amount of rest between each kill. It could be as short as two days to as long as a month."

The team looked at the new pictures Garcia put up on the screen. The mutilated bodies burned into the eyes of the agents. Each girl looked torn up and bloody. Rossi looked at his colleagues and asked, "Why does this look familiar?"

Reid immediately looked at Seaver. She sighed and said, "I did not expect this."

Hotch made the connection. Garcia knew all along and looked down. JJ and Morgan were confused. "Seaver, what do you mean you never expected this?" JJ inquired.

Seaver looked at JJ right in the eye. It freaked JJ out but she kept a straight face. Seaver waited a moment before she said, "These murders are exactly like my father's."

Morgan and JJ were stunned. Garcia looked at Seaver and told her, "Your father is still in jail. I don't understand what's going on."

Seaver looked at the worried blonde and said, "It's a copycat, Garcia. Unfortunately, some idiot decided to copy my father for some sick reason."

Hotch looked at Seaver and then at the pictures. "These murders show rage. Lots of rage. This unsub chose your father to copy because their lives are somewhat similar."

"So the unsub has a family?" Garcia inquired.

"It's possible," Hotch told her. "It's also possible he's been in contact with Beauchamp."

Seaver looked up at Hotch. "Are you sure?" she asked, secretly hoping for a "no."

Hotch said, "Yes, I'm sure. The unsub is a fan. He would want to talk to the man he admires. Everybody, get ready. Wheels up in an hour."

He sat on his couch in his living room. He smiled at his TV. The news was on, and the reporter was terrified. "Another body has been found in the woods. It's clear that this serial killer is not going to stop. The way he kills is the same way Charles Beauchamp- aka the Redmond Ripper. The FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit will be joining the Bismark's police department in finding this vicious killer."

He laughed. He liked being called "vicious." He drank up the last of his beer when a ten-year-old girl came running to him. "Daddy," she said. "Can I have a puppy?"

He sighed and brushed the girl's blonde hair away from her eyes. "You know you can't have any pets," he told her. Seeing the disappointed face on his daughter, he added, "But after I come home from work tomorrow, we can go to the toy store at the mall."

Her face brightened. "Ok, Daddy!" she exclaimed. She hugged her father and squealed, "You're the best daddy in the world!"

He picked her up and put her in his lap. He looked at his daughter's smiling face and said, "And you know it."


	2. At the Crime Scene

"This is what we are going to do," Hotch said. The team was on the jet to North Dakota. Seaver and Reid were sitting next to each other with Morgan and JJ sitting across from them. Hotch and Rossi were standing next to the seats. "Rossi, you and Morgan are going to visit the crime scene. The rest of us are going to the prison." He looked at Seaver and asked, "When was the last time you spoke to your father?"

Seaver looked up from the case file and replied, "I haven't seen him since he was thrown in jail."

JJ looked at Seaver. "Has he tried to contact you?"

Seaver sighed. "He keeps writing letters to me."

JJ closed her file and was now interested. "What does he write to you about?" she asked.

"I don't know," Seaver replied simply and went back to the file. JJ looked at Morgan and he just shrugged.

****

Hotch, Reid, JJ, and Seaver arrived at the North Dakota State Penitentiary. They were walking to the interviewing room when Hotch said, "JJ, you and Reid are going in. JJ, you're also his type."

They stopped in front of the interviewing room. Seaver looked at the three agents and said, "It's interesting how I'm his type too."

JJ was stunned by this statement. She and Reid looked at each other and Hotch looked at Seaver. Seaver looked back at Hotch and asked, "Why don't I go in there?"

Hotch replied, "You will, when the time is right." He opened a door that led to the observation room. Right before Seaver walked in, she turned to JJ and said, "Good luck."

JJ nodded as Hotch followed Seaver in and the door closed. She turned to Reid and said, "Ok." She hesitated for a moment before saying, "I feel bad for Seaver, Spence. It's just all my years working in the BAU, I felt bad for the families of the victims, not the families of the unsubs."

"I know, JJ," Reid said. Then he opened the door and followed JJ in.

****

Morgan and Rossi parked their car next to a couple of police cars. They got out of the car and went toward the sheriff. The sheriff, a tall blonde buff guy, shook the hands of the two agents. "The name's Dean Larson," the sheriff introduced himself.

"I'm SSA David Rossi and this is SSA Derek Morgan," Rossi replied. "Where's the crime scene?"

"Right this way," Larson answered. He led them into the woods. The sound of the twigs breaking and birds chirping made the two agents relax until they saw the body.

"Whoa," Morgan said. "I've seen some pretty bad things but that is just pure hatred." He bent down to have a better look at the stab wounds. "These wounds are deep. The guy must be pretty strong. And does not care about women at all."

Rossi nodded in agreement. "Look at her. He didn't show any remorse whatsoever." He looked at the ground and a nearby tree. "This is also where he killed her."

Morgan saw the dismembered feet next to the body. Morgan inspected the feet and said, "She was running. Adrenaline pumping in her would make her run pretty hard. She must've tripped over something and he caught her."

Rossi looked at Sarah's mutilated face. "Where did she meet this guy?" he asked.

Larson looked up from the body and at Rossi. "I talked to her family. They said she loved to party. She makes friends easily and she's too trusting."

Morgan shook his head. "Too trusting? Not a lot of street smarts."

"So you guys think the creep copied the Redmond Ripper?" Larson asked.

"We believe so," Rossi answered. "You know about him?"

Larson scoffed. "Did I know about him? He scared the hell out of people when I was a kid. Too bad North Dakota doesn't have capital punishment. They should have electrocuted the guy."

Rossi and Morgan looked at each other. Their looks to each other made it clear that the sheriff was not going to find out about Seaver. Morgan decided to keep it friendly and said, "Yeah. Some killers deserve to die. If there was only a way to stop them before they kill."

Larson replied, "There is a way. I believe it runs in the blood." With that, he walked over to another police officer and started talking to him.

Morgan furrowed his eyebrows. "Rossi," he said. "I know it's normal to hate a serial killer, but say its in the blood?"

Rossi shook his head. "Oh boy," he said. "I'm guessing someone he knew was killed by Beauchamp. I don't think he should come in contact with Beauchamp or know Seaver's secret. He may be capable of violence."

****

"Honey," he called out to his wife as he was grabbing his jacket. "I'm going out."

"Again?" she asked. She came out of the kitchen and tossed her blonde hair. "You went to the mall today and worked all night yesterday. Are you ever here besides watching you TV?"

"Look, honey. I gotta work. It's something I have to do."

"Fine. Be careful, though. There a lunatic out there."

He smiled at his wife. "Don't worry, honey. If we cross paths I'll give him hell." He kissed his wife and walked out the door. He went to his van and got in. He opened a tool box in the passenger seat and smiled. A gun, a knife, and rope were snug in the box. "Looks like I'm good to go," he said and laughed. He started up the van and drove off to the woods.


	3. The Interrogation

JJ glanced at the man across the table. He had messy blonde hair and icy blue eyes. She hated to say it, but those eyes reminded her of Seaver. Beauchamp looked up at JJ and smiled. JJ thought he wouldn't do that, but hey, she was his type.

JJ and Reid sat in the chairs across from Beauchamp. "Charles Beauchamp," Reid stated.

Beauchamp kept looking straight at JJ, but he leaned back in his chair and replied, "Yep. That's my name."

"I'm Dr. Reid and this is Agent Jareau," Reid introduced to Beauchamp. Reid was about to open one of the files he came in with when Beauchamp looked at Reid.

"You're not no doctor," Beauchamp exclaimed. "You're just a kid."

"I can assure you I'm not a kid," Reid said, a little irritated. He opened the file and pushed it in front of Beauchamp.

Beauchamp looked at the pictures in the folder. The pictures were of mutilated bodies, showing the severed body parts and the lifeless faces. "These are mine," he said. He looked at the two agents in front of him and asked, "Why the hell are you here?"

Reid ignored that question. JJ closed the open folder and Reid put another one on top of it. He opened it and Beauchamp took a look at the photos. He saw different bodies but the same M.O. He laughed at the photos. "Now I know why you're here," he said with a smile. He looked at the pictures, and looked up at JJ.

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"That's disgusting," Seaver said on the other side of the glass. Hotch stopped looking at her and turned to Seaver. "Come on, Hotch," she exclaimed. "He's reliving his murders and living his copycat's. He's also probably fantasizing about JJ's. You shouldn't have put her in there."

"She can get him to talk," Hotch replied, looking back at the interview.

"No, Hotch," Seaver said. "I can get him to talk."

Hotch turned back to Seaver. "Do you want to talk to him? There will be a time when your true identity will be revealed. When the time is right, the truth will come out. Your father hasn't seen you since you were a kid. He is not going to recognize you. If you want to go in there and have your father flirting with you, that's fine with me."

Stunned by Hotch's last statement, Seaver said, "I think JJ's got this."

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At the crime scene, the CSIs were snapping photos and picking up evidence. The medical examiner leaned over the body. "Poor girl," he said, with a surprisingly strong British accent. "This was just like the other victims, alive when her feet and hands were removed. She was alive, possibly for half an hour after being tortured."

Larson sighed and said, "Well Dr. Ryan, life just isn't fair."

"Is there a difference between these murders and the original Redmond Ripper murders?" Rossi asked Ryan.

"These murders are much more violent. The Ripper was more skilled and quick and killed the victims instantly, while this man is an amateur. He can't dismember the hands and feet as skillfully and leaves the victims to die instead of killing her instantly. Well, look at this." He picked up one of the victim's hands. "She's got skin under her fingernails. She fought back." Ryan held the hand close to his face and sniffed it.

Morgan and Rossi looked at each other, then at Larson. Larson cleared his throat and said, "He does that all the time."

"Our killer was drinking before he killed," Ryan exclaimed. "Bloody hell, I should've seen it on the other bodies."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Doc," Larson said.

"Yeah," Morgan added. "You just helped us with our profile. Now we know that our unsub is drunk when he kills. That's why his kills are less organized than the original kills. The Redmond Ripper was sober, and this guy is not."

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"Who's copying you?" Reid asked. The man across ignored the question and laughed again.

JJ decided to ask a different question. She looked into those cold eyes and asked, "Why are you laughing?"

He looked up from the pictures and met JJ's gaze. He imagined what would happen if he was an hour alone with her. What he could do to her in just one hour and make her feels the years of torture. If only….

"Why are you laughing?" JJ repeated. She knew that look in his eyes. Unfortunately, with this job, she seen that look before.

"This guy," Beauchamp said, " is good, but messy." He chuckled. "He can never be as good as me. Too bad." He looked at the glass and asked, "Who the hell's behind that?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Reid retorted. "Who is he? Who's copying you?" Beauchamp was still staring at JJ. Reid realized it was useless for him to ask the questions. He looked at JJ.

JJ took the hint and asked, "Who is he?"


	4. The Profile

"You're never gonna know," Beauchamp replied. He looked at the pictures again and smiled, but his eyes went up to JJ again. She looked a lot like his victims, the same blonde hair, the same blue eyes, the same…

"Why?" JJ asked. She was lucky she had patience. She might also have a little more patience with this killer because of one thing and one thing only. Seaver.

"I think he should be perfect before the Feds catch him," Beauchamp answered. He chuckled and tapped his fingers on the table. Tap tap tap. The tapping became annoying to Reid but he didn't say anything. Not until he received a headache from it.

"Would you stop that?" Reid asked, putting a hand on his forehead.

"Spence?" JJ inquired, her voice sounding worried. She put a hand on Reid's shoulder and then the tapping stopped. If looks could kill, the look Beauchamp was giving Reid would.

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"He's jealous," Hotch commented. Seaver was staring at Reid, a little worried herself, but Hotch made her eyes snap toward her father. It was true.

"Why would he be jealous?" Seaver asked her boss.

Hotch replied, "Look, Seaver. Your father wanted to play his mind game with JJ. He wanted her attention. When Reid's headache came, JJ turned her attention to him. Your father wants attention. He needs it. It helps him relive the days when he was free. Without it, he's nothing."

"We can use this to our advantage," Seaver suggested. "We-or JJ- gives him attention in return for our unsub's name."

"Exactly, but it just won't be that simple. We'll continue this interview tomorrow. We have to go to the police station and give the officers and the public our profile."

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"Let's go, Spence," JJ said, getting up.

"You're leaving so soon," Beauchamp asked, disappointed.

Reid got up from his chair, too. Acting like his headache never happened, he said, "We'll be back when you're ready to talk." He opened the door and he and JJ stepped out and joined Seaver and Hotch.

"We need to finalize the profile and give it to the officers and the public," Hotch told JJ and Reid.

"Oh, my first press conference back! Let's go," JJ exclaimed. The four went to the police station.

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The four arrived with Rossi and Morgan waiting there. "Have fun?" Rossi asked.

"Not exactly," Reid answered.

"Rossi and I worked on the profile," Morgan said, getting down to business. "We got enough to present to the public."

"Good," Hotch said. "JJ?"

"Already have reporters for the press conference," JJ told her boss. "I'm good to go."

"Larson will join you, JJ," Hotch said as the sheriff walked in. "The rest of us will give the officers the profile."

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Hotch, Rossi, Seaver, Reid, and Morgan were standing in front of all the officers sitting at their desks. "What we have terrorizing this city is your average copycat serial killer," Hotch told the police officers. "There's nothing special about him."

"He picked the Redmond Ripper because he identifies himself with him," Seaver added. "They will have a similar life."

"One thing different about him and the original Redmond Ripper is that our unsub gets drunk before his kills. Most killers prefer to be sober when they commit their murders," Reid continued.

"This is what we are looking for," Morgan said.

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"We are looking for a man, early to late thirties," JJ told the reporters, with Larson standing by her side. The flashing lights and dozens of reporters made JJ feel like she was really part of the team again. "He will have a wife and a child, possibly more than one. He lives in a single income household and is an alcoholic. He's violent, and will protect his family. He will also have no pets in his house. If you know something, please contact the police at this number…."

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"He believes his wife asks for too much, which probably caused his drinking problem," Rossi told the attentive polices officers. "His kid- or kids- will be spoiled."

"Spoiled?" a young cop asked. "How would you know that?"

Seaver figured it was time to talk about her personal experience. "Our unsub devotes most of his time into his murders. He still wants to be a good father, though. To make up for the time he doesn't spend with his kids, he would give them anything they want. Price does not matter. The only thing he won't allow is pets."

"This guy will blend in with the crowd," Morgan said. "You won't expect him to be a serial killer."

"In fact," Reid added, "You would think he is the last person to be our unsub. That is the case with most of our serial killers. For example, Ted Bundy was a charming man. All his neighbors liked him. No one hated him. Even the judge didn't expect him to be a killer. If it wasn't for the all the evidence, he could have been acquitted."

"Now that you and the public have been warned," Hotch said, "We have a better chance of finding him. Use the profile."


	5. The Truth Comes Out

JJ and Larson made their way toward the team. The team just finished giving the profile so they were talking amongst themselves. The police officers went straight to work and with the profile, they searched the streets.

Hotch saw the two coming. "Good job, JJ," he complemented his agent. He smiled at her and she smiled back.

"I guess it wasn't too bad for my first time back," JJ admitted.

Morgan chuckled and said, "Girl, you shouldn't have left in the first place. You're just damn too good."

"I'm going to get some coffee," Reid muttered. He walked over to the next room.

Seaver watched him go and said, "Me, too."

JJ watched Seaver follow Reid. "Is there something going on between those two?" she asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Morgan replied.

Hotch, with a serious look, said, "I hope not. The last thing we need is some romantic drama in this team."

"It was bound to happen," Rossi said, which resulted in Hotch glaring at him.

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"Hey, you ok?" Seaver asked Reid when she caught up to Reid.

"I'm fine," he answered, pouring some coffee. Seaver stared at him and Reid finally met her gaze. "Seriously, Seaver. I'm fine."

Larson wanted coffee himself. With a psycho on the loose, he needed to be ready and alert. He was walking toward the coffee pot but seeing Reid and Seaver talking, he stopped. Morgan and Rossi said something about the two together. He didn't want to interrupt. He decided to wait against the wall, so he wasn't intrusive. But his ears were eager to hear this conversation.

"Are you sure, Reid?" Seaver asked. "During the interview-"

"Nothing happened, ok?" Reid cut her off. He turned around. He was done talking to her.

Seaver knowing how awkward it would be, slipped in the small space between Reid and the counter. Larson glanced at the Reid and Seaver but quickly hid back again. "Talk to me," Seaver said quietly. "You can trust me. What happened when you were interviewing my father?"

Larson almost fell. She was his daughter? He heard about Beauchamp's little girl growing up to be a Fed, but the FBI agent who is helping him with this case? He couldn't handle this. He quickly walked over to his office. He couldn't trust anyone anymore.

Reid backed up from Seaver. "I just had a headache, ok? One headache isn't a big deal."

"It is when its was not just 'one headache'. You've been having this problem for a while. Hell, before Emily died. What's going on?" Seaver looked at Reid with such concern that Reid almost told her. Almost.

"I think you should mind your own business," he snapped. He took his coffee and walked away, leaving Seaver crushed.

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He crushed his beer can. He was watching the news and saw the press conference the FBI gave. They described him almost too perfectly. He watched the blonde giving the press conference talk about the profile. His profile. The reporters called the blonde Agent Jareau. Jareau was beautiful, he noticed. Young, too. She was slim and athletic and she looks a little like his latest victim. He smiled as an evil thought came to him. This would send a message to those hotshot FBI agents. All he had to do was get this blonde. He can do something special for her. He was surprised not to hear about another body. He hoped they'll find her soon. Before the animals get to her.

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Reid went back to his team. He saw only his fellow FBI agents. "Where's Larson?" he asked.

"Where's Seaver?" Morgan countered.

Rossi, Hotch, and JJ looked at Reid. Reid didn't know what to say, but was rescued by Seaver. "Hey," she said as she joined the group. Looking at everybody's faces, she asked, "Did I miss something?"

"Nope," Rossi answered. There was a moment of awkward silence.

Hotch checked his watch. Noticing how late it was, he told his team, "Let's call it a night. We will continue tomorrow morning." With that, the team left to their hotel.

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Larson paced back and forth in his office, with so many questions in his head. Can this be true? The daughter of his sister's killer was helping him find the copycat? How did she end up in the FBI? Why is she working this case? He took a deep breath and sat at his desk. Should he trust the FBI agents still? Rossi and Morgan didn't even tell him when they were talking about Beauchamp. Did they think he would kill Seaver? Larson thought about that one for a moment. That wouldn't be a bad idea. She deserved to die. She has tainted blood that could make her become a serial killer.

Larson shook his head. He couldn't do that, could he? He thought about that conversation Seaver and Reid had. Reid. There was something wrong with him. Why was Seaver worried about him? What happened during that interview? He needed to know more about this team. Not just Reid and Seaver, but everyone. He needs to know who he is working with.


	6. Another Victim

A/N: Thanks for reviewing! I tried to make this story as real as possible, like giving out the profile and holding a press conference. I hope you enjoyed it and continue reviewing!

The team, neither one of them having a good night's sleep, were at the police station. Hotch was about to give his team orders when Larson came running to them. Out of breath, he told the team, "There's another victim."

Those words shocked the them. "Another kill already? He's escalating," Rossi commented.

Seaver agreed, "Yeah. He's probably mad that the FBI's here."

Hotch looked at his team. They were all worried. Seaver looked at Hotch, waiting for the orders. He decided to not let her wait any longer. "Morgan, Rossi," he said, "You two go to the crime scene. Concentrate on the body and the surroundings. When you're done, come back here and add what you know to the profile." He turned to his remaining agents. "We will have another interview."

JJ turned to Larson. "When did your guys find the victim?" she asked him.

"Five minutes ago. I figured you guys need to hear it as soon as I did."

"Thanks. That was fast," Seaver complemented the officer. She gave him a friendly smile but he returned a dirty look.

"Right," Larson scoffed and walked away.

"What the hell was that?" Rossi asked Seaver.

Seaver was stunned from that look. "I-I don't know what his deal is," she stammered.

"I know what happened," Morgan exclaimed. The rest of the team looked at him, eager for an explanation. "You turned down a date."

"Wha- no! He never asked me out," Seaver told Morgan, who was laughing.

Rossi realized what might have happened. What really happened. "Did he find out about you, Seaver?" he asked the young agent.

Seaver was about to hit Morgan's arm but focused her attention to Rossi. "I didn't say anything," she told Rossi. "Why?"

"He has his own personal reason in hating Beauchamp," Rossi answered.

"He also hates anyone with his blood," Morgan added.

Seaver shook her head. How does her father still manage to destroy her life behind bars? If Larson does know, she's screwed. He wouldn't trust anything she said or did. With her luck, he might try to kill her. "We came here to solve a case, so let's solve it."

Hotch furrowed his eyebrows. "Can we look at who Beauchamp has been in contact with?" he asked his team.

"Well," JJ answered, "Prisoners are still U.S. citizens so they still have rights. In order to access who he's called or e-mailed, we need to-"

"Call Garcia," Morgan cut her off.

"I guess call Garcia," JJ said, feeling a little embarrassed that Morgan interrupted her.

Morgan took out his cell phone and dialed a number. "Who needs some Garcia?" a too happy technical analyst asked.

"You know we need some," Morgan replied with a smile.

"Do we have to keep it PG?"

"We need you to access Charles Beauchamp e-mail account," Hotch said, ignoring Garcia last sentence. "Also his phone calls and visitor logs. Anyway he can contact someone."

"That's a big list," Garcia said, her fingers dancing on the keyboard. "Why would a sicko have this many fans? Oh, no offense, Seaver."

"None taken," Seaver replied simply.

"Alright baby girl. You know the profile. Narrow it down as much as you can and then call us," Morgan told the analyst.

"You know me, lovers," Garcia told the team and then hung up.

"Let's move," Hotch said and the team split up.

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Hotch, Seaver, JJ, and Reid walked to that familiar door which they all came to know and hate. "Ready?" Hotch asked Reid and JJ.

"No, but let's get this over with," JJ answered.

"Uh, what she said," Reid told his boss.

Seaver looked at JJ and apologized, "I'm sorry you have to do this." JJ smiled at her and patted her shoulder.

"Well, better me than you," JJ said. Then she turned to her genius partner. "C'mon." Reid opened the door and let JJ go in first. Then he glanced at Hotch and Seaver and followed JJ in.

Hotch and Seaver walked into observation. Seaver hoped her father would tell them who is number one fan is. She saw her father's face when JJ and Reid walked in. She knew what he was thinking, no doubt about it. She hoped her father would at least spare them by not telling them his fantasy.

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Morgan and Rossi made their way through the woods again. The morning sunshine rained on the two agents as they ducked underneath branches. The woods smelled great, with the wind hitting the two with fresh air, and it never felt more peaceful. Then a horrible sight brought them back to reality fast. Morgan leaned over the body, smelling it. "I can smell the alcohol on her," Morgan told Rossi.

Rossi nodded as he observed the crime scene. It reminded him of the last crime scene they went to. Blood splattered on the nearby trees and a huge blood pool underneath the victim. The hands and feet were side by side, just a few feet away from the body. He looked at the victim again. Her long, blonde hair was filled with dirt and blood. Her arms and legs contained bruises and stab wounds. Rossi heard some twigs cracking and looked up to see who it was. Seeing the familiar young Brit, Rossi greeted him with, "How are you, Dr. Ryan?"

"Pretty good, actually," Ryan replied. Then he looked at the mutilated body and said, "Forget what I said, mate." He bent down to examine the body next to Morgan. Ryan looked at the stab wounds very closely. "These stab wounds are much deeper than any of the other bodies," Ryan observed. He counted all the wounds and the bruises in his head and added, "He also stabbed and beat her more, too. Poor girl must have been in a lot of pain." He smelled her like Morgan did. "A lot of alcohol isn't good when your committing a murder. Actually, it's not good at all. He must have been in a rage and alcohol didn't help."

"Yup. Don't worry though, Dr. Ryan. We'll catch the guy before he kills another girl," Morgan assured the medical examiner.

Rossi looked at the victim one more time and then looked at Morgan and Ryan and said, "Unfortunately, he's going to be looking for another victim. And soon."


	7. Round Two

Reid and JJ sat across from Beauchamp. Before they came in, Beauchamp was looking down at the table, but now looking at JJ. She ignored the creepy gaze and asked, "Who's copying your murders?"

"A pretty smart guy," Beauchamp answered simply. He continued to stare at her, and it made her feel uncomfortable.

Reid decided it was his turn to bat, so he asked, "What's his name?"

Still looking at JJ, Beauchamp replied to Reid, "That's cheating. You have to find him like you found me."

"If you tell us, we can make life easier here for you," JJ baited. She hoped that could get him to spill.

"I'm already facing life, I don't think things can be easier," he replied.

JJ sighed. She knew this was going to be a long interview.

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"Why won't he talk?" Seaver asked her boss. "I thought serial killers hated copycats."

"Most serial killers do," Hotch answered. He turned away from the interview to look at Seaver. "They don't believe copycats' work is good enough to be mimic theirs."

"So why won't my father give him up?" Seaver inquired.

"Your father needs attention. A fan out there copying his kills would give him half the attention he needs," Hotch replied.

"What about the other half?" Seaver asked. She glanced at her father but quickly turned to Hotch again.

"The other half he is receiving now," Hotch answered. "That is another reason he won't give up his fan. He wants to receive attention from the FBI, especially if an FBI agent can be one of his victim's"

"Let me question him," Seaver begged. "I can make him talk."

"Are you sure?" Hotch asked. "Are you sure he would tell you who his copycat is?"

"We'll never know unless we try," Seaver told Hotch. She thought for a second her boss was giving in, but he disappointed her.

"He's been writing to you for years and hasn't seen you since he was arrested. That is why you shouldn't go in unless you have to. You are the number one person he wants attention from. It wouldn't be the best idea to send you in," Hotch said.

Seaver wasn't going to give up. "Reid and JJ aren't getting anywhere with him," she persisted. "Wouldn't sending me in do the job faster?"

Hotch replied, "Maybe. I told you before, I won't send you in unless I have to. There is still one thing we haven't done yet."

"What's that?" Seaver inquired, eager to know what trick Hotch has up his sleeve.

"Remember yesterday?" Hotch asked.

Seaver thought for a moment and she remembered. "Oh, that could work," Seaver said. She looked back at the interview, but focused on JJ and Reid. With what Hotch had in mind, this was going to be interesting.

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Rossi and Morgan walked around the crime scene. "Look," Morgan called to Rossi as he bent down to the ground.

Rossi came over and asked, "What is it?" He saw Morgan pointing at the ground and he leaned in to have a better look. "A footprint," Rossi observed as he examined the footstep. He looked up to see a whole trail of them.

"Let's see where she ran from," Morgan told his partner, and they followed the trail. Next to the third footprint they found was a shoe print, which was a good clue. "Most likely the unsub's shoeprint," Morgan said. A CSI came over and snapped a picture of the shoeprint.

"That's good evidence when we find the unsub," Rossi said. They continued to follow the trail which led the far from the crime scene.

Morgan jumped over a fallen tree and grinned at Rossi. "Need help, old man?" Morgan playfully asked.

"I can do it," Rossi said, but ended up tripping over it.

Morgan burst up laughing. "Looks like you've fallen and can't get up," Morgan teased.

Rossi looked up at Morgan and was about to say something but stopped. Instead of a comeback, Rossi said, "What's that?"

Morgan stopped laughing and asked, "What's what? Did you hit your head to hard?"

Rossi got up and pointed past some trees to something blinding him. Morgan looked at it and covered his eyes. They walked toward the shiny object and approached it. "What the hell?" Rossi said as he bent down to get a good look at it.

"He must've dropped it when he was going back," Morgan stated. He looked at the bloody butcher's knife on the ground. "I don't think you average household has that."

"You're probably right," Rossi agreed. "Our unsub is a butcher."

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"Why won't you tell us?" JJ asked. She had a lot of patience, which probably came from being a mother. Reid, on the other hand, was losing his patience.

"I told you it's cheating," Beauchamp said. He leaned back in his chair and gave JJ his creepy smile.

She pretended to look defeated. She turned to Reid and said, "Looks like he's not going to talk. Let's go, Spence." For more effect, she put her hand on top of Reid's.

"Alright," Reid said, and they both got up. Reid, with his hand on the door handle, almost opened the door when he was stopped by Beauchamp.

"Wait," Beauchamp said. Reid and JJ turned around to look at him. Beauchamp's serious face turned into a smile. Laughing, he asked the two, "How stupid do you think I am?"

JJ and Reid looked at each other. JJ said to the laughing psychopath, "Excuse me?"

"Next time you act all couple-like, lose the ring," Beauchamp told JJ.

Embarrassed , JJ put her right hand on top of her left hand. How could she be so stupid? She muttered, "Damn," under her breath and Reid nodded in agreement. They were so close.

Beauchamp laughed again. "The famous FBI isn't very smart," he said. "They're just looks, nothing else."

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"I can't take this," Seaver said, walking toward the door out of observation.

"Wait, Seaver, don't," Hotch called after her, but it was too late.

Out of observation, Seaver walked into the interview room. Reid and JJ were shocked to see Seaver, and Beauchamp, wondered why they were shocked. Seaver calmly walked toward the table and looked at Beauchamp. He checked out the new girl but there was something oddly familiar about her. Something he couldn't put his finger on. Seaver decided to let him in on the little secret by saying, "Hello, Dad."


	8. Father Meets Daughter

A/N: Sorry for ending the chapter there. I figured a little suspense was good. Please continue reviewing and Happy Independence Day!

After a CSI bagged and tagged the knife, Rossi and Morgan headed back to the police station. They went straight to working on the profile. "Let's see what we got," Morgan said. "We have a married father running around mimicking the Redmond Ripper."

"He's an alcoholic," Rossi added. "The wife probably doesn't see the whole paycheck."

Morgan picked up a photo of the latest victim. He looked at the body and said, "Now we know why he can dismember the hands and feet like he can. He's a butcher."

"This helps a lot with the profile," Rossi agreed. "It can narrow our list down."

"In that case, let's call Garcia," Morgan said. He took out his cell phone and dialed her number.

Garcia's cheerful voice answered the phone, "The office where all your dreams can come true."

Morgan chuckled and said, "Baby girl, you're on speaker. Me and Rossi in the room."

"Ooh," Garcia replied. "A three-way"

Rossi smiled but went to work. "Garcia," he told the hyper analyst, "How far have you gone into narrowing down our suspects?"

"Even the almighty can't do the impossible," Garcia replied. "Unfortunately, this guy has a lot of fans. I managed to narrow it down to North Dakota citizens only. Did you know those Canadians aren't as innocent as we think?"

"Garcia," Morgan said, trying to get his tech back on track.

"Oh, yeah," she said. "I've also narrowed it to just this town. I've narrowed it down to men, who are married and have kids. Still at least ten. You have to give me some more."

"Ten?" Rossi exclaimed. "Who the hell are these people?"

"Some of them also have pretty good security. It'll take a while to crack," Garcia said.

"Alright. Baby girl, those without security, are any of them butchers?" Morgan asked.

"Nope," Garcia answered.

"Damn," Rossi muttered. "He must be one of those with good protection."

"Try to crack those e-mails," Morgan told the analyst.

"You got it, sugar," Garcia replied and hung up.

Morgan put his phone back in his pocket and looked at Rossi. "Let's tell the others when they get back."

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There was silence in the interview room. Nobody even breathed. Beauchamp decided to break the silence by saying, "Ashley?"

Seaver sat on the edge of the table and replied, "Yeah, Dad. It's me."

"You've grown," Beauchamp observed. He smiled at her and said, "Looks like you're not my little girl anymore."

"No, I'm not," Seaver replied. "I never was."

Reid and JJ looked at each other and then looked at Beauchamp to see his expression. Beauchamp's smile disappeared and asked, "What do you mean, Ashley?"

"Look at these victims, Dad," Seaver said as she took the file containing the original Redmond Ripper murders. She placed the folder in front of her father and opened it. "Look," she said, spreading out the photos of the victims. "Who do they look like, Dad? JJ?" Seaver pointed at JJ. Then, shocking everyone in the room, "Or me?"

"What?" Beauchamp exclaimed. "Why would I-"

"Why would you even kill in the first place?" Seaver cut him off. "They were innocent women! They didn't deserve to die. Young, pretty, and blonde are your type. What the hell am I?" Seaver yelled that last sentence. She holding in that rage for the longest time and she needed it all out.

"Ashley," Beauchamp said quietly. "I'm sorry I didn't give you the life you deserve."

"I don't care about that!" Seaver shouted. "Who the hell is copying you?"

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Hotch sighed as he watched what was going on in the room. He really wished Seaver hadn't gone in, but he couldn't blame her. Beauchamp was mocking the FBI. The FBI meant a lot to Seaver, so he understood her actions. He still wished she followed his orders, though. Oh well, he wasn't going to hold it against her like he usually would. He would've done the same thing. He watched Seaver ask the question JJ and Reid asked him and hoped that Beauchamp would tell them.

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"Ashley," Beauchamp said softly. "I told you before, it's cheating."

Seaver scoffed. "Are you kidding me? It's cheating!" She slammed her fist so hard on the table that everyone inside the room and out jumped. "Damn it, you will tell me!"

"Don't yell at me," Beauchamp ordered, his voice cold and hard. He looked at Seaver, his gaze just like his voice.

"What did you say?" Seaver asked, not believing what she just heard.

"I said don't yell at me," Beauchamp responded, his voice still the same.

"What gives you the right to tell me what to do?" Seaver asked, steadying her voice.

"Ashley, I am your father," Beauchamp replied.

"Thanks for pointing that out, Darth Vader," Seaver said sarcastically. "Should I really listen to the guy who is rotting in jail because he murdered twenty-five women?" She shook her head and got off the table. "You know, you are really pathetic."

She immediately regretted those words coming out of her mouth when her father stood up and grabbed her arm.


	9. We Need To Talk

"Let go of me," Seaver demanded. She tried to yank her arm away from her father but his grip was too strong. JJ and Reid took a step forward to help Seaver out, but she used her free hand to stop them.

"Listen to me, Ashley," Beauchamp commanded. "You must catch him on your own."

Seaver scoffed and replied, "Thanks for the tip. You've been wasting our time. I have to go catch a serial killer so let go of me."

There was a moment of silence in the room, but then Beauchamp let go of his daughter. Beauchamp knew how angry Seaver was, so he calmly said, "Ashley…"

"Don't," Seaver told her father. With that, she walked out of the room and her two shocked colleagues followed.

Hotch joined them walking out of the prison. Seaver felt guilty about not getting anything from her father so she apologized, "Sorry I couldn't get him to cooperate, Hotch."

"He wouldn't have anyway," Hotch replied. "He wants us to find the unsub on our own, no matter how we tried to convince him."

"Ok, what now?" JJ asked.

"We'll go back to the police station and see if Morgan and Rossi had better luck than we did," Hotch replied.

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"We've got something," Morgan said when the team regrouped at the station.

"Our unsub is a butcher, which would explain his clean cuts," Rossi said. He handed Hotch a picture of the butcher knife that was found.

"He's being reckless," Hotch observed as he handed the photo to Reid.

"This isn't right," Reid exclaimed. "Our unsub is organized, and he wouldn't leave his tool at the crime scene."

"Something is definitely making him unorganized," Seaver agreed, "But what?"

"Good question," Hotch replied. "Let's find out."

"Hey, how'd it go with Beauchamp?" Morgan asked.

Seaver shook her head and replied, "Not great. He won't talk. If he did tell us, it'd be 'cheating'."

"What else did you find at the crime scene?" Hotch asked Rossi.

Rossi answered, "More blood. His kills are getting more vicious and his next kill would probably be worse."

Rossi handed a file to Hotch. Hotch opened it and sighed. He looked at the latest victim and saw the stabs, dismemberment, bruises, and her lifeless eyes. He hated being a step behind the unsub, and Beauchamp wouldn't even help them. Seaver tried her best, and at one point Hotch thought Beauchamp was going to break. Unfortunately, Beauchamp was extremely stubborn. This was going to be a long case, but they needed to rest.

"We should head back to the hotel," Hotch said. "We need to get some sleep. We can continue working on the profile in the morning."

Seaver looked in the direction of Larson's office and said, "You guys go without me. I want to talk to him."

Hotch looked at Seaver and replied, "Fine, but you can't stay alone."

"I'll stay," JJ volunteered.

"Good. Good night then," Hotch said, and he walked off followed by the rest of the team.

"How are you going to talk to him?" JJ asked Seaver.

Seaver sighed and smiled weakly at her colleague. "I'm just going to wing it," she replied. She looked at the office and looked back at JJ. "Wish me luck." She walked over to the office and paused before she knocked on the door.

"Come in," she heard Larson say. She opened the door and walked in.

Larson was sitting at his desk, his brows furrowed as he concentrated on the papers in front of him. He looked up and was surprised by his visitor. "We need to talk," Seaver said, regretting those words coming out. She realized it sounded like something she would say to a boyfriend.

"Talk?" Larson inquired, leaning back in his chair and studied the agent in front of him. "About what exactly?"

"I know you know," Seaver replied, taking a few steps closer to the desk.

"You mean about your father? You can't keep something like that from me," Larson said.

"I just didn't want you to judge me, that's all," Seaver explained. "It's nothing personal."

Larson snickered at her last sentence. "Personal?" he laughed. "Of course it's personal. Your father is the Redmond Ripper. He terrorized this town for years and it's nothing personal?"

"What did he do to you?" Seaver asked quietly, sadness in her voice. She looked at the sheriff with such concern that Larson gave in.

"He took my sister," Larson answered, and then looked away from her.

Seaver sighed and put her hand on top of his and said, "I'm sorry. Tina Larson, the twenty-second victim."

Larson looked up at Seaver and asked, "You remember?"

"I remember all of them, Sheriff," Seaver answered. "Good night."

She removed her hand and walked out of the office. Larson stared after her, having different feelings about her. What kind of feelings he was unsure about. The big question is should he trust her?

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Seaver was relieved that she and Larson could be friends and not enemies. Now where was JJ? Seaver spotted her sitting at the edge of a cop's desk, telling a story.

"It was hard fighting them off with just your two hands. One, I guess because my right wrist was broken, but I made it. I remember him holding that knife, ready to stab Reid, but I couldn't let that happen to my partner. I tackled him, the knife in my arm. I was terrified," JJ was telling a deeply interested officer. He was young and cute and probably did not notice the wedding ring on her finger.

"JJ," Seaver said as she walked over. "Let's go."

"Ok," she replied. "Good night, Tim."

Seaver and JJ were walking to the doors when Seaver asked, "What were you talking about?"

"I don't know," JJ replied. "I made it up."

Seaver stopped for a second and looked at JJ. "Of course you did," Seaver said with a smile.

JJ smiled too and exclaimed, "What? I like messing with them. It's funny and I was bored. So how'd it go with Larson?"

"I think he likes me now," Seaver said as they were heading toward the car. "I believe we won't have any more problems."

"Ok," JJ said. The two agents got in the car, and while Seaver put the key in the ignition, JJ added, "Larson wasn't our only problem, though. We've got a serial killer out there and all we know is he's a butcher."

"I wish my father wasn't so damn stubborn," Seaver said. "I wish he would tell me."

"Looks like we will have to find this guy on our own," JJ replied.

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Seaver parked in the hotel parking lot. She and JJ started heading toward the doors when JJ said, "Damn. I forgot my phone in the car."

"See you inside," Seaver said as she tossed JJ the keys.

JJ walked fast back to the car. It was a cold night and she really wanted to be inside. She unlocked the door and opened it. She grabbed her cell phone and got out of the car. She didn't even have a chance to close the door. Something hit the side of her head and all she could remember was the blood and pain before everything went black.


	10. Kidnapped

She awoke on the cold, dark ground. It was freezing, but she didn't really care about that. She had a blinding headache, a result from being knocked out by the unsub. She put her hands on the wound on the side of her head, and realized that her hands were tied together by rope. She looked at her feet, and they were tied together, too. "Great," she told herself, "Just great. I didn't sign up for this." Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she looked at her surrounding. There wasn't much. There was a light bulb on the ceiling that could've been on. There were tools sitting next to the wall across from her. She rolled her way over there to see exactly what kind of tools they are. She gasped when she looked at them. She knew what the unsub wanted to do.

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He was glad his brother gave him the keys to his house. There was no way he could do it in his own. He hoped his brother would stay in Hawaii for more than a week. He wanted to have a lot of fun with this girl. Even though everything didn't go exactly the way he wanted to, he got a FBI agent in the basement. That was all he wanted. He grabbed a beer from his brother's refrigerator and walked over to the rug in the living room. He tossed the rug aside and opened the trap door. Beer in one hand and the other on the ladder, he climbed down to a little hallway. There was only one door at the end and he walked over to it. He smiled about what was going to happen next and opened the door.

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"Yo, Pretty Boy, open up!" Reid heard his friend call out from the other side of the door. He wanted to ignore the knocks but he realized Morgan wasn't going to give up.

He sighed as he went to open the door.

"What do you want, Morgan? I want to go to bed," Reid complained. His words did not stop Morgan from walking in.

Reid closed the door when Morgan asked, "Have you seen JJ or Seaver?"

Reid rubbed his eyes and replied, "No, but I have a feeling that wasn't the reason you came over."

"You're right," Morgan confessed. "I came because of Seaver."

"What?" Reid asked. "Wha- What do you mean because of Seaver?"

"Look," Morgan said. "Ever since Prentiss died, I was afraid this team was falling apart."

"I thought that when JJ left," Reid replied. "So what about Seaver?"

Morgan looked at the genius in front of him. "Seaver met her daddy for the first time since he was arrested. How would that make you feel?"

"I remember meeting my dad for the first time since he walked out on my mom," Reid replied. "I kind of hated him. But how does this involve the team falling apart?"

Morgan looked at Reid, a look that made Reid realize the real reason Morgan was here. "No," Reid said.

"It's obvious, genius," Morgan exclaimed. "Garcia's been bugging me for days about pushing you two together."

"Do I need to date a colleague?" Reid asked his fellow agent. "Why do you always do this to me?"

"'Cause you always like your colleagues! You just never dated them," Morgan answered.

"I went out with JJ," Reid defended himself.

"Yeah, and you never asked her out again. Lamontagne beat you to her. Now Seaver is a perfectly free girl and you won't even ask her out? Don't let history repeat itself, Reid. For a genius, that's just stupid," Morgan said.

Reid looked at Morgan for a second and then said, "I'll handle my love life, you handle your own. Ok?"

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She groaned as she picked herself up from the ground. Where was she? Oh yeah, now she remembered. She looked around the parking lot as she put her hand up to her head. Ouch. She looked at her hand and saw blood all over it. Oh god, what happened? She walked over to the door of the hotel building, her hands on the wall to keep her balance. Her head hurt and she was dizzy. It was like everything was going in slow motion. She groaned again as she stumbled up the steps to the rooms. She couldn't even remember the rooms they had gotten. Leaving blood drops everywhere, she staggered over to the nearest door. Was this it? She heard familiar voices in the room and thought this had to be it. She leaned against the door and knocked on it as hard as she could, which really wasn't that hard. Then the door opened and she stumbled in.

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"Look, Morgan, I need some sleep. Would you just go and forget about this?" Reid begged his friend.

"Let's see, um, no. I'll let you sleep, but remember, don't let history repeat itself," Morgan advised. Right after that, there was a knock on the door. "Ooh," he added. "Speak of the devil."

Reid glared at Morgan but went to the door. He opened it and a blonde woman fell on him. "Wha-" Reid didn't expect this coming. He caught the woman and recognized her face. "JJ?"


	11. I Don't Remember

The door opened and she saw the unsub come in. Seeing his face, everything came flooding back.

"See you inside," she remembered telling JJ as she tossed her the keys. After seeing her friend walk toward the car, she turned around and started heading to the hotel. She heard a thud and something clatter against the pavement. She immediately turned around, her gun drawn. She ran over to the car to see a hooded figure over JJ. "FBI! Get away from her and put your hands on your head!," Seaver remembered yelling. He slowly put his hands on his head and Seaver walked to him. She put her gun down for a second-just to get out her handcuffs- and he knocked her to the ground. She felt a pain in her head and saw a gun he probably hid up his sleeve. Her gun flew out of her hand and he kicked it farther away.

She remembered him kneeling over her, whispering, "You'll do," when she fell unconscious.

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"JJ, what happened?" Reid asked as he picked her up and put her on the bed.

"I'll get Hotch and Rossi," Morgan said, and he darted out of the room.

"I- I don't remember," JJ replied softly. "I was just going to get my cell phone. I ca- can't believe this."

Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan came rushing in. Reid looked up at them but turned his attention back at JJ.

"Where's Seaver?" Reid asked.

"What? She isn't here?" JJ exclaimed, surprising everyone.

"Wait," Morgan said as he walked over to her and stood next to Reid. "You don't know where she is?"

"Oh God, we need to find her," JJ said and she started to get up.

"Slow down, girl," Morgan told her. "You need to get to a hospital. You might need stitches."

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"What do you want?" Seaver asked her kidnapper. She leaned against the wall and looked up at him, her head high. She was not going to show him fear.

"I was actually going for the other one," the unsub replied, "but you saw my face and she didn't. I had to change my plan a little but no worries. I got a FBI agent." He laughed and took a step toward her. "That's more than Beauchamp can say."

Seaver studied him for a minute. This idiot was didn't know who her dad was. If he did know, would he spare her? Or would he do something more special than what he would do to an FBI agent? She didn't want to risk it. She just hoped the team could find her before it was too late. "You're right about that," she replied.

"I plan on being bigger than him, more feared than him," the unsub listed his goals, "and maybe being the most horrific serial killer to ever roam the earth. And you," he bent down next to her and smiled, "are going to be my career booster."

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Morgan took JJ to the hospital. He was with her in a room where the doctor was done with the stitches. "You shouldn't sleep for more than two hours," the doctor advised JJ.

"Don't worry, Doctor," JJ replied, wincing when the doctor touched her wound, "I'm not planning on sleeping."

"You don't remember anything that happened?" Morgan decided to try again with the questioning.

"I'm sorry, Morgan," JJ replied sadly. "I wish I could, believe me. All I remember is being knocked out."

The doctor looked at JJ and said, "Ok. You need to rest and stay away from loud noises. I don't recommend you going into the field."

"I didn't hear that last part," JJ said as she hopped off the table.

The doctor looked at Morgan. Morgan nodded to the doctor and looked at his colleague and said, "Let's go back to the hotel. We need to get some rest 'cause we have a big day tomorrow."

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She wished she could just die already. She didn't realized the unsub was so strong. His punches hurt more every time he hit her. She could feel the blood coming from her nose and mouth drip off her chin. She didn't want to know how many bruises covered her body, or how many were going to join the party. She just wished it was over.

Her head hit the ground hard. She closed her eyes, hoping the pain would go. She heard the unsub laugh, and didn't realize how close he was to her. "Don't give up on me," he said, right above her. "You gotta stay awake. We just started." He heard his sick laugh and heard something more scarier. He was unbuckling his belt.

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It was morning, bright and early. The team didn't waste any time though. Hotch reluctantly let JJ go with them to find Seaver's location. Every second Seaver was alone with the unsub, the chances of her being ok were decreasing. The pressure was on, and they weren't going to break.

They walked fast. Morgan and Rossi took in their new surroundings, but Hotch, Reid, and JJ was all to familiar with it. The last thing they wanted to do was be here, but they knew this was their only chance. They all secretly hoped Garcia would give them a call right this second, but knew it wouldn't happen. The all powerful analyst would need another day. She was already working as fast as she could, and she probably didn't even sleep. They approached a door they were hesitant to open. He didn't help them before, but the circumstances were different. Hotch opened the door and they all walked in.

A tired looking man was sitting in a chair, a chair he should get comfortable with. "What do you want now?" Beauchamp asked.


	12. Where is She?

Every part of her body hurt. There was no way she was going to go through that a second time. She hoped, no, she prayed that her team would find her before it was too late. She knew she had to be strong and take in the pain, because resisting would only make it worse. She still fought back, which made the unsub pissed. He tried to cover his anger by saying, "I always love a good fighter," but Seaver knew. Serial killers need to know that you don't kidnap profilers.

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Beauchamp looked at the FBI agents in front of them. They were all tired, restless, and impatient. "Well," he asked again, "What do you want?" When those words came out, he realized JJ was hurt and also noticed someone missing. "Where's Ashley?" he decided to ask a question that the agents might answer.

JJ took a seat in front of him and replied, "Good question." Her head was still hurting, but she tried not to show it. With Reid and his headaches, one more agent with head problems shouldn't distract the team.

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Beauchamp asked, irritated. "And what the hell happened to you?"

"Long story short. Your copycat knocked me out and decided to take your daughter. We have no idea where she is, and she's been missing since last night. So who is copying you?" JJ spit out the story. They couldn't afford to keep Seaver waiting.

"No, that's not possible," Beauchamp said, looking down at the table in front of him.

"Not possible?" Reid shouted, trying to stay calm but obviously failing. "He has your daughter!"

"No. No! He said he wanted the girl from the news," Beauchamp looked up at JJ. "It was suppose to be you."

"Thanks. Now where is your daughter, and does he know who she is?" JJ asked.

Beauchamp decided to answer the second question. "No, he doesn't," he said quietly.

There was a moment of silence. Morgan, realizing that this guy wasn't going to answer the first question, asked, "Do you care about your daughter?"

"Of course I do!" Beauchamp startled everyone with his sudden rage. "Believe it or not, I love her." He calmed down and looked back down at the table.

"So where's the love?" Rossi questioned. "Why won't you tell us where your daughter is?"

After Rossi said that, Hotch's phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and answered, "Hotchner."

"Dearly beloved, I have found the fairest of all the land. At least that's what Reid thinks."

Hotch knew his analyst wasn't going to disappoint him and replied, "Who has her?"

"William Lafontaine. He fit's the profile, family and all. I'm sending the address to your phone." Garcia paused a moment before saying, "Please bring her back, Hotch."

"Don't worry," Hotch comforted the analyst. "We will." He hung up and slipped the phone back on his pocket.

Hotch stared coldly at Beauchamp and said, "William Lafontaine."

"What?" JJ cried out but then realized her mistake. "Oh, never mind."

Beauchamp looked defeated, and Hotch knew this was the right guy. "Let's go," Hotch said, and he and his team walked out of that room. They were going to find her.

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Blood covered half her face. It also covered her arms and her legs. The unsub wanted to have "fun" and his fun was cutting her wrists and ankles. Fortunately, he didn't cut them off. "You're too special to have your hands and feet removed," he told her while he slit her wrists. She just wished for death. Where the hell was her team? They probably went to her father for answers. She had a feeling that he wasn't going to give them the unsub's name. Oh well, enjoy life while you're still living, because she could feel herself slipping. The unsub was standing over her, watching her die. She could barely see the smile on his face as she felt tiredness overwhelm her. She just wanted to sleep. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but those beatings and cuttings and other things made her weak. Maybe it's for the best…

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"FBI!" Morgan yelled at the door. They were at a nice, white picket fence home. The sun was beating down on them, and the vests weren't exactly made for a hot day. Morgan was ready to kick down the door when it opened. He immediately his gun at the woman who opened the door. "Mrs. Lafontaine?"

"Yes," the woman answered, trying to hide her fear.

Morgan lowered his gun and asked, "Where is your husband?"

"At work. Why, what's going on?" the woman was confused. A little girl ran over to her mother, and her mom put an arm around her.

"We need to check your home," Hotch said. The woman stepped back to let the agents swarm in her house. Hotch looked at JJ and she sighed. She hated being the one to tell women that their husbands are killers.

"Do you know about the recent murders, the copycats of the Redmond Ripper?" JJ asked the wife.

"Uh, yes, I do. What happened to you? And what does this have to do with Will?" Mrs. Lafontaine asked.

"We have reason to believe that your husband is responsible for those murders," JJ replied, and regretted those words when she saw the wife's shocked expression.

"Clear!" every member of the team, excluding JJ, called out. They walked back to JJ.

Hotch looked at Mrs. Lafontaine and asked, "Where would he go if he wanted to be alone?"


	13. Life Flashes Before Your Eyes

A/N: sunshinecutiebre, JJ's husband's name is William Lamontagne. Thanks for all the reviews! Also, karoanton, I like the fact you like what Garcia said. It's Garcia, so she needs to say something funny!

"I don't understand," Mrs. Lafontaine said, and she hugged her daughter tighter. "He wouldn't hurt a fly. I mean, sure, he's a butcher, but he wouldn't hurt a person. You're mistaken."

"I understand that you're confused," Hotch replied, sounding empathetic, "But the evidence is just too strong. I know that you know that this isn't a mistake."

The poor woman started crying, small tears falling down her cheeks. The little girl in her arms didn't comprehend what was going on, but she squeezed her mother. "He's probably at the shop," Mrs. Lafontaine sobbed.

"Does he work alone?" Hotch asked.

"No."

"There must be another place then. Usually, what he does is out in the woods. This is different. Is there a place he would be safe in and this week allowed him to use this place?"

Mrs. Lafontaine looked up at Hotch and answered, "There is this place. My brother-in-law will be out of town for the week and my husband volunteered to take care of the house."

Morgan glanced at the woman and then at Hotch and said, "That's gotta be it."

"Thank you for your time," Hotch told the mother and the team started walking out the door.

"Wait!" she called out. Hotch turned around and she said, "Don't hurt him. Please."

Hotch didn't say anything. Instead, he just walked over to the SUV and thought about finding his missing agent.

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"Shh," he whispered, stroking her blonde hair. He had knelt beside her and was thinking about what else he should do now. There were so many thing he can do, just not enough time. Also, it wasn't fun when she kept coming in and out of consciousness. Why couldn't she just stay awake? She proved to be the best out of all of his victims. They never fought back as hard as she did. She almost got him once, too. Almost. He knew time was running out for her. He also knew that she knew that, too.

Seaver groaned as she awoke. She was out for an hour, and now she's back to hell. She looked up to see her captor smiling at her. She hated to say it, but he was handsome. The other victims must've went with him willingly. For one split second, there was no pain. Then he said, "Hello, sunshine." Everything came flying back. The throbbing headache returned. The cuts and bruises were excruciating pain to her body. She fought back tears that welled up in her eyes. His smile was like daggers and his words were like fire. Where was her team? Why aren't they here? Will they arrive just in time, or too late?

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Hotch was driving, Rossi in the passenger seat, and Reid, JJ, and Morgan in the back. Adrenaline was pumping through the agents' veins. Hotch was restless and floored it to the house. Morgan was thinking about what he would do when he got a hold on this guy. JJ was thinking how easily it could've been her. Rossi was wondering how much time they had. And Reid… Seaver, hurt and at the edge of death, was too much for him. He looked out the window because he didn't want to see his friends' serious faces, especially JJ, who was on the verge of tears. Besides the police siren screaming, they rode in silence. No one wanted to talk about what they were thinking.

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It must be true about what they say. Life really does flash before your eyes. Seaver hit memory lane hard, reflecting on her adventures. She recalled the police handcuffing her dad. "It's ok, Ashley," her father told her when a cop practically threw him in the backseat of the car. Seaver remembered her mom crying her eyes out, which made her cry. She remembered her mom telling her they were going to move far, far away. High school also hit her. She recalled Robby, her first love and first heartbreak. She should've known he was playing her. With an innocent and angelic face like his, you can never know when he was lying.

She had fun in college, staying away from boys and hanging out with girls. She remembered her friend asking if she was gay. Seaver just laugh and said, "Of course not. I just don't think should waste my time with these idiots." Her friends laughed with her, but she knew she couldn't avoid men forever. The FBI academy were filled with them. She knew the other guys were looking at her, but didn't dare ask her out because she intimidated them. Now in the FBI's BAU, she didn't have much trouble with guys. Or did she? Her friendly dinners with Reid were fun, but she wasn't sure if they could take it to the next level. She liked talking to him and didn't want to risk destroying their relationship.

She thought about Prentiss. Emily Prentiss. Her training supervisor. Seaver didn't know her that long, but her death definitely brought tears. Before all that drama, they were just a normal team. Morgan would go teasing Prentiss about some guy named Rawson, and Prentiss would yell at him and say "we're just friends." Everyone on the team, surprisingly even Hotch, had that look like "yeah, right." Damn Doyle had to come and ruin everything. Now it was her turn to leave the team.

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Hotch signaled JJ and Reid to take the back door. Morgan didn't even wait for Hotch's signal and kicked down the door. Hotch glared at him but they moved through the house.

JJ wasn't a "kicking down the door type" so she used her elbow to break the window and unlocked it from the inside. Reid ran past JJ and started searching. They were going to find Seaver.


	14. She's Not Here

Hotch and Rossi ran up the steps to the second floor. Morgan joined JJ and Reid into searching the ground floor. They moved quick but thorough, for they couldn't risk not finding their missing teammate. "Clear!" Morgan called from the living room.

"Clear!" Hotch and Rossi said in unison from upstairs.

"Clear!" JJ decided to add her voice into the male choir from the kitchen.

"She's not here," Reid said, confused. The agents regrouped in the living room and they looked at each other. "How can she not be here?"

"Good question," Rossi replied, looking around. "This should've been it."

"What the hell do we do now?" Morgan asked, to no one in particular.

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"You here that?" the unsub asked, sitting next to her bloody body. "That's your friends trying to find you." He laughed before he said, "They won't."

Seaver definitely heard the door slam down on floor, which was probably Morgan, and heard their footsteps as they walked around the house. They stopped walking and she figured they were going to talk about what they were going to do now. The truth dawned on to her at last. They weren't going to find her.

"Don't worry," the unsub continued. "Your time's almost up. It was fun while it lasted, right?" Another laugh echoed in this dark room.

Seaver felt like she wanted to vomit. Knowing she was going to die didn't exactly give her the happiest thoughts. She felt something coming up her throat and she tossed it out on her kidnapper.

"What the-" he looked at her and laughed. "They never coughed up blood before."

She was so tired. She was done fighting. Now she can just close her eyes and wish for no more pain.

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"She has to be here!" Reid insisted pacing back and forth. "She has to!"

"Look, we want to find her, too," Morgan told the agitated agent. "She's just not here."

Hotch sighed and said, "We should head back to the station."

Rossi nodded and agreed, "There might be something in the profile."

JJ walked over to Reid and said, "I'm sorry, Spence." She put a comforting hand on his arm and continued, "She's just not here."

"Wait!" Reid exclaimed, which made JJ jump. "Did you here that?"

"Here what?" JJ asked, puzzled.

Reid bounced a little on the rug he was standing on. There was a creaking sound that erupted from the ground.

"It's just the floorboards," Morgan explained.

"No, it's not. It didn't make noise until JJ stepped here," Reid said.

JJ looked at him and sarcastically said, "Thanks."

"There's something under here," he told his offended friend. He looked down which made JJ sigh.

"I want there to be something to, ok? Check the rug, Spence. There's probably nothing." She bounced on the rug and said, "Morgan's right, it's probably the floorboa-"

She and Reid went crashing down. Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan walked over to the new hole and asked in unison, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," Reid and JJ replied. JJ went face first, with Reid on top of her. He got up and gave her his hand.

"I can't believe I weigh that much," JJ complained. "Apparently the "my friend is kidnapped and I only got away with a concussion" diet is not helping."

Reid brushed dust off his shoulder and said, "I didn't think you were the type to worry about your weight."

"Every girl is," JJ grumbled. She looked straight ahead and said, "Spence?"

He looked toward her direction. "This has to be it," he whispered. Guns drawn, Reid and JJ made their way to the door. Reid looked at JJ, who gave him a nod, and reached for the door knob. He turned it and went in.

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Morgan, Hotch, and Rossi were standing over the hole. Reid and JJ went to the mysterious door and now they were waiting. "You think she's down there?" Morgan asked his older friends.

"Maybe," Rossi answered simply.

Morgan looked at Hotch, who sighed. The team leader wasn't sure, and decided to respond truthfully. "I don't know," Hotch admitted. "I just don't want anyone to get their hopes up. We've all been through a lot and the last thing we need is to have are hopes crushed."

"What do you think the unsub did to Seaver?" Morgan asked, a little hesitant. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

"Probably the whole package," Rossi replied, then added, "Maybe more."

Morgan shook his head. "I'll kill him."

"No you won't," Hotch said. Morgan and Rossi both looked at their boss. Hotch added, "It can't be premeditated."

Morgan chuckled at those last words. Then he looked back down that hole. What was happening in there?

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"FBI!" Reid yelled as he burst into the room, JJ at his heels.

The unsub was so surprised and lunged at Reid. Reid hit the ground and JJ quickly pulled Lafontaine off of her colleague. She put him on his knees and slipped handcuffs on him. "You're under arrest," she told him.

Lafontaine smiled at her and said, "I planned on taking you."

JJ was shocked. Reid didn't even here what Lafontaine said and went hastily toward Seaver. Her eyes were closed but all the action that happened made her open them. Blood covered her mouth and chest. Her wrists and ankles were still bleeding from the slits Lafontaine gave her. She looked like a mess.

"Down here!" JJ called out to the three agents still on a floor above her.

There were two thumps and the three agents joined the group. "There was a ladder," Hotch told Rossi and Morgan, but then looked at the matter at hand. Everyone in the room looked at Seaver and Morgan called the paramedics.

Seaver was fighting to take her last breath. "Seaver," Reid said, "It's going to be ok."

Seaver struggled to say something, but couldn't. There was too much pain, and she just wanted it to be over with. At least she got to see the team one last time. Now she can join Prentiss in the afterlife. She closed her eyes once again and let her head drop.


	15. Seaver

"Seaver!" Reid cried out. He bent down next to her and grabbed her wrist. He felt her pulse and turned white. "No," he said quietly and started performing CPR.

Everyone was silent, including the unsub, as they were watching Reid trying to revive Seaver. Reid put his mouth on top of hers and breathed into her. The unsub couldn't keep quiet forever, so he said, "She's dead."

Reid ignored him and decided to do the chest compressions. His hands on her chest were shaking, but they were doing the job. "Come on," Reid whispered, looking at her lifeless face.

Morgan looked at Hotch, and Hotch closed his eyes. JJ ran out of the room and climbed up the ladder. She burst through the back door and, in between sobs, she started vomiting out on the grass.

Reid went back to mouth to mouth. Rossi walked over to the determined genius and said, "Reid."

Reid ignored him and continued what he was doing. Then after giving her one last breath he just looked at her. "Seaver, come back," the desperate agent begged. Then, with sudden anger, he exclaimed, "Come back!" He slammed his fist on her chest.

They were shocked with this sudden move. They were more shocked about what happened afterward.

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JJ was done throwing up, at least for now. She rested against the back door and let the warm sunshine wash over her. Tears streamed down her face and she had a hard time catching her breath. She closed her eyes and thought about what she just witnessed. She wished Seaver was as "dead" as Prentiss. She may not be here in America, but at least she would be breathing. Now she's gone. JJ opened her eyes and looked around her. She didn't really pay much attention to how beautiful this place really was. The trees and flowers were beautiful, thanks to the summer air. Birds chirped, and JJ found that peaceful, whether the birds were arguing or playing. It was a really nice day outside, she thought. She kind of wished that it was raining hard with thunder and lightning. That would fit the mood. Her friend's dead, so this day could not get any worse.

` JJ's phone rang. She looked at it to see who was calling and groaned. This day just got worse. The last thing she wanted to do was tell Garcia what happened. She needed to be calm to talk, especially with Garcia. She answered her phone and cracked, "Jareau." That was a failure.

"My golden angel, what's wrong?" JJ hated to hear Garcia talking seriously, minus the "golden angel" part. She was used to the cheery voice that was the light in all the darkness. "JJ?" Garcia persisted.

"Um, we, uh, found her," JJ replied, trying to keep her voice steady. While she talked, tears kept coming down. How was she going to tell her.

Garcia was busy working on something for Cooper's team, but she needed to know what happened with Seaver. She teamed up with her boyfriend Kevin in order to pull this multi tasking off. "You found her? That's great! But why are you crying, Jayje?"

"We found her, uh, not the way we wanted to," JJ's voice started cracking again.

"Talk to me, JJ," Garcia said in a small voice. Kevin stopped typing and rolled his chair over to Garcia. She was going to need him.

"God," JJ said, giving up on keeping her voice steady. "Don't make me say it."

"JJ," Garcia whimpered, and burst into tears.

Kevin hugged his girlfriend and said, "It's going to be ok."

JJ, hearing her friend cry so hard, couldn't help but do the same. "Listen to Kevin," JJ barely made that out. "She, uh, god. I'm so sorry."

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"Reid," Rossi said again, and patted the younger agent's shoulder.

Then a gasp shocked everyone in the room. Seaver took a deep breath and then started coughing. "Seaver!" Reid couldn't be more happy. He cradled the alive woman in his hands. "Welcome back."

Morgan and Hotch looked at each other. "Did we just see a miracle?" Morgan asked his boss.

"She deserves it," Hotch answered with a smile. He and Morgan joined Rossi in looking at her.

Seaver coughed some more and whispered, "Reid?"

"I'm right here," Reid smiled, with tears of joy dripping off his cheeks.

Seaver coughed again and asked, "Is JJ ok?" That night couldn't leave her mind.

"Don't worry about her," Morgan said. "She's upstairs puking her guts out because she thought you died. I should get her." Morgan walked left the room and went looking for JJ.

"You're a lucky girl," Rossi told the exhausted blonde.

Seaver didn't say anything but gave him a smile.

"You'll get help soon," Reid said. "I'm just glad you're ok."

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"JJ!" Morgan called out as he jumped out of the hole.

JJ said, "Wait, Garcia. Morgan's calling me." She opened the door and walked over to him. "What is it?"

Morgan looked at JJ's tear-stricken face and told her, "She's alive!"

"What?" JJ, Garcia, and Kevin exclaimed in unison.

"She's A-Ok," Morgan smiled.

"Oh my-," JJ didn't really have words to show what she was feeling and decided to hug Morgan.

Garcia squealed on the other side and started laughing. "Yes!" She planted one on Kevin, who was surprised by that.

"We'll talk to you later, baby girl," Morgan said and JJ hung up. They heard the sirens coming their way.

"That was a close one," JJ said, with a smile that couldn't get off her face.

"Yeah," Morgan agreed. "We were losing too many people."


	16. Just Tell Me the Truth

"I'm going to go check with the doctor," JJ said as she got up and walked into the halls of the hospital. Waiting in the waiting room, each member of the team wanted to see Seaver. Paramedics said she lost a lot of blood, but Seaver was Seaver. She was a strong willed independent woman who could make it, especially from coming back to life. She had to make it.

"She's ok, right?" Reid asked, concern in his voice. He looked at Morgan, who chuckled.

"Don't worry, pretty boy," Morgan replied. "You brought her back once, so another time shouldn't be a big deal."

JJ walked back to the team, and they all looked up to her. She didn't say anything. Reid's jaw could've hit the floor. He was so sure…

JJ looked at every individual and then smiled.

"You-," Morgan shook his head and laughed.

"I was about to say déjà vu," Rossi commented, remembering their last trip to a hospital.

"You almost fooled me," Hotch confessed with a smile.

"Don't do that again," Reid said seriously. Every one turned to look at the only agent not laughing.

"Oh, c'mon, Spence," JJ replied, "I thought it would lighten the mood a little." She gave him one of her smiles that lifted the mood, but it didn't work.

"Seaver dead isn't funny," Reid stated, a hint of anger in her voice.

"Sorry," JJ said quietly. "Anyway," she added, "The doctor said we can see her now."

The group followed JJ down the hall and into a room where the young woman was laying on a bed. She looked up to see her friends. "Hey," she said weakly. She was tired but she wanted to talk to her team.

"Are you ok?" Reid asked as he walked over to Seaver.

"I'm alive, aren't I?" Seaver joked.

"You have to thank this guy right here," Rossi said as he walked over to the other side of Seaver.

"That's true," Morgan added, and stood behind Reid. JJ joined Rossi on the other side and Hotch kept himself at the foot of the bed.

Seaver looked up and smiled at her hero, and he smiled back. "I guess I owe you," Seaver suggested.

"No," Reid replied, "It's part of the job."

"Still," Seaver insisted, "You kept trying. I think these guys would've left me for dead."

"That's right," Morgan agreed unashamed. "I wouldn't even have tried."

Seaver looked offended and everyone laughed. Everybody was back together again, the way it always should be.

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A few days passed, and Hotch had Strauss reluctantly agree to let the team stay until Seaver was well enough to get out of the hospital. Now she walked out of the hospital on crutches, with JJ helping her.

"Stupid crutches," Seaver muttered as one of her crutches slipped from underneath her arm and almost making her fall.

JJ laughed and picked it up for Seaver. "They are not the enemy," JJ said. "They are suppose to help you."

"Some help," Seaver grunted as she got the crutch under her arm again. "Where's the rest of the Scooby Gang?"

"At the hotel," JJ answered. She opened the passenger door for Seaver and watched her get in.

"Can we make a pit stop?" Seaver asked JJ who got in the driver's seat.

"Yeah, of course," JJ replied. "Where?"

"Prison."

JJ looked at her. "What did you say?"

"Look, I need to say goodbye," Seaver explained. "I just can't leave without saying goodbye. I don't expect you to understand. I just need to see him."

"Ok," JJ replied, not sure of what else to say. She called Hotch to let him know they were going to be late. She was just driving when Seaver asked a question.

"How did you guys find me?" Seaver inquired.

"Garcia's magic," JJ replied, her eyes still on the road. "You know she never lets us down."

Seaver looked through her window to observe the traffic, but turned back to JJ again. "Did you go to my father?"

JJ looked at Seaver and replied, "Uh, yeah, we did," then turned her attention back on the road.

"But Garcia found me."

"Seaver-"

"Did he not want to find me?"

"He-"

"Just tell me the truth."

JJ looked back at Seaver. The younger woman kept insisting something she was better off not knowing. The only thing JJ can do is tell the truth. "He didn't help us," she replied quietly. "I don't know why."

"I'll tell you why," Seaver scoffed. "He's my father. He doesn't help people, he destroys people."

JJ turned her eyes back on the road and drove a few minutes in silence. Then she worked up the courage to ask, "Then why do you want to see him?"

"At first I was going to thank him for actually doing something good. Now I have something else in mind," Seaver replied.

JJ glanced at her. Why did she have to volunteer to pick up Seaver? Now Seaver's going to have a showdown with her father. This is going to be too dramatic for her.

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They arrived at the prison. Seaver and JJ walked through the familiar halls they thought they weren't going to see again. It was a short walk, but it felt so long. Seaver was thinking about what she was going to say, but figured she would probably end up improvising when she saw him. She paused before the door that would lead her to the one person who gave her hell.

"You want me to come with you?" JJ asked. She wasn't going to say anything, but she knew it would make Seaver feel a lot safer if she was there.

"Yeah," Seaver said. "You might have to hold me back." JJ gaped at her, but opened the door and followed Seaver inside.


	17. Thanks, Dad

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and keep on reviewing! The next chapter will be the last. I'm rushing to end this story because I'm going to get really busy.

Beauchamp didn't say anything when Seaver staggered in. JJ helped Seaver into a chair in front of Beauchamp. There was silence in the room for a moment. "Ashley," Beauchamp said, not knowing what else to say.

"Dad," Seaver replied.

Another moment of silence and Beauchamp decided to be the first to make conversation. "I'm sorry, Ashley," he told her, looking at all the wounds. "I didn't-"

"Didn't what?" Seaver interrupted. "Didn't know that your copycat almost killed me?"

Beauchamp looked at her, accepting the blame. "It was cheating, Ashley. I told you," he replied.

"You're right," Seaver said. "You're right. It didn't matter that I could've died. What matters is that we had to find out on our own, and nothing even matters but that one rule."

"When your team came to me, do you think it would've made a difference?" Beauchamp asked.

"No, I guess not," Seaver replied, "But if you told us the first time, this wouldn't have happened to me."

"Ashley-"

"You know what he did to me, Dad?" Seaver asked calmly. "Of course you do. He did exactly what you did to your victims. So basically I'm a victim of the Redmond Ripper."

"That's not true," Beauchamp disagreed. "Ashley, I would never hurt you."

"You wouldn't help me, either," Seaver retorted. "You had the chance to do something good, and you wouldn't do it. Why, Dad? You couldn't help your own daughter."

"Ashley, you're alive," Beauchamp said. "I didn't leave you for dead. I could kill the guy who did this to you."

"What if I did die, Dad? There are a lot of people dying and I could've easily been one of them," Seaver replied. "What would you have done?"

"I would've blamed myself," Beauchamp answered simply.

There was a stare shared between the father and daughter. JJ was standing beside Seaver and she felt uncomfortable. She never noticed it but Seaver and her father looked alike. During this stare, JJ looked at the resemblance. They both were blonde and stubborn. They had the same blue eyes that contained the same cold stare. She never saw the similarities before. They were too busy trying to find the unsub. Now things were different.

"What good would blaming yourself do?" Seaver finally asked.

"I take it and live with it for the rest of my life," Beauchamp answered.

"What difference would that make?" Seaver asked. "You already live with twenty five murders."

"None of them were my daughter," Beauchamp replied.

"Right. They were other people's daughter," Seaver snapped.

"Why are you here?" Beauchamp asked.

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"Ok, JJ," Hotch said and he hung up his phone. The team was in the lobby waiting for the two girls to show up. Morgan had his laptop out in front of him, Reid and Rossi sitting one each side of him.

"What is it?" Rossi asked, looking up at the pacing Hotch.

"They aren't coming here," Hotch replied.

Reid looked up, too, but alarmed. "Why? What happened? Are they hurt?"

Hotch just started at him for a moment before saying, "Would you let me finish?"

Morgan laughed and Reid turned red. "Sorry," Reid mumbled, looking down in embarrassment.

"Seaver wanted to go see her father one last time," Hotch continued.

"That's interesting," Rossi commented.

"She just wants to see him again," Reid defended.

"Jesus, make it more obvious," Rossi said.

"Hey, baby girl," Morgan said to his laptop. The happy analyst showed up and smiled at him.

"Hello, chocolate wonder," the peppy analyst greeted. "How's everyone doing?"

"What is that suppose to mean?" Reid asked Rossi.

"Exactly what it's suppose to mean," Rossi replied.

"Boy wonder and the wise one are fighting?" Garcia questioned.

"You're not making any sense," Reid exclaimed.

"Calm down," Hotch said as he took a seat next to Rossi.

"What's obvious?" Reid demanded. Everyone, including Garcia since Morgan turned the laptop, looked at him. "What?"

"We are going to have a long talk when you get back," Garcia replied.

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"I don't know why I'm here," Seaver replied to her father's question. "I was coming here to thank you but JJ told me you didn't help."

Beauchamp glanced at JJ but turned his attention back to Seaver. "So now you came here to…"

"Let my rage out," Seaver finished her father's sentence. "I'm hoping this can make me forget about you. I don't want you to write to me, or try and contact me in any way. I just want to be left alone. Got that?"

"You can try and forget me but that's never going to happen," Beauchamp predicted. "I'm your father."

"I wish I had a better one," Seaver told him.

"Before, you know, I was a good father," Beauchamp defended himself.

"You mean before the truth came out?" Seaver asked.

"I was still a good father," Beauchamp insisted.

Seaver looked away from her father for a moment and then looked back. She just shook her head. "You proved what kind of father you are when my team came to you for help," Seaver said. "And that's the father I'm going to remember."

"Ashley, please," her father begged.

"No, Dad," Seaver said. She got up and, with the help of JJ, got her crutches back under her arm. She walked toward the door and JJ opened it.

"Why did you come here if I didn't help you?" Beauchamp asked, hoping to get one question answered.

"To say thanks," Seaver replied. She turned around and said, "Thanks, Dad. Thanks for nothing." With that, she and JJ left the room.


	18. Shattering the Moment

A/N: Thanks for reading my story. Also thanks for the reviews and I will love your last reviews. Can everyone who read this story please review? I want to see how many people read this. Thanks again!

The plane ride to Quantico was long. Hotch was sleeping in a chair, Morgan was leaning on Rossi, both asleep, and the snoozing Reid was laying on the couch. JJ was getting two cups of coffee and sat across from Seaver, handing one cup to her. "You ok?" JJ asked her.

"Yeah," Seaver replied, taking a sip and looking out the window.

It was quiet for a moment and JJ asked, "You want to talk about it?"

Seaver looked at JJ. Her eyes still hurt from the torture days before. "I don't think I'm ready just yet," she replied.

JJ looked down, feeling guilty. "Ok," she said.

Seaver noticed this, being a profiler, and told her friend, "It's not your fault."

"Damn it, Seaver," JJ said, shaking her head. "Why? Why did you have to be the hero? Why did you save me?"

Seaver smiled at her. "JJ, you have a lot more to lose than I do. You have a family. I- I didn't even know I was going to get kidnapped. Even if I did know what was going to happen to me, I still would've protected you. That's because we have each other's backs."

JJ smiled back at her. "You know he cares about you, right?" JJ asked, taking a sip.

"Who? Larson? The guy asked me for my phone number when he visited me at the hospital. Weird, huh? First the guy hates me and now he loves me," Seaver said with a laugh.

JJ gave her a blank look. "What?" she exclaimed.

"You weren't talking about him?"

"No!"

"Oh, then who?" Seaver knew who JJ was talking about, but pretended to be clueless.

"In my years working in the BAU, I realized profilers are horrible liars," JJ stated.

Seaver looked out the window and asked, "Do we have to talk about him?"

JJ looked at Seaver intently and put her hand on her chin. "Let's see," JJ replied, "Yes!"

"There's not much to talk about," Seaver argued.

"Yes there is," JJ insisted, relaxing her hands on the table. "And you know it."

"I don't know, ok?" Seaver confessed. "Most guys I come across don't want to date. Why is he different?"

"He's not like other guys," JJ answered. "He's more understanding and sweet and shy and he's understanding."

"No more 'and's?" Seaver pretended to be disappointed but JJ shot her a look.

"Seaver," JJ sighed.

"What? Is he even interested in me?" Seaver asked, and glanced at her sleeping hero.

"He bit my head off when I made a mean joke," JJ replied. "Interested in you would be an understatement."

"Why do you care so much?" Seaver decided to ask the question that was bugging her. Why does JJ want to help the new girl out?

"Because you are my friend," JJ answered, "And so is Reid. Besides, you two look cute together."

Seaver smiled at her. "Morgan said you two went out on a date," she said.

JJ looked at Reid and then back at Seaver. "Yeah, it was great."

"It wasn't awkward or anything?" Seaver asked.

"No, just a great time. I think he read a book about football the night before. He listed all the rules," JJ replied.

"The age difference isn't that big, right?" Seaver asked.

"I'm no cougar," JJ laughed. "Only two years apart. Anyway, go for it. Make a move."

Seaver looked at Reid, then at JJ. "I will."

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The jet reached Quantico and the team was finishing up their work. Hotch went home to his son early, and Rossi went to work on wife number four. Morgan was sitting at his desk with tons of work, and JJ with probably twice as much. Reid and Seaver were at their desks, just done with their reports.

JJ walked out of her office and towards the two unofficial love birds. "Good night," JJ said.

"Good ni-," Reid started but looked up at JJ. "Don't you have work?"

"Eh, screw it," JJ replied. "I want to see my family." With that, she left.

Seaver laughed. "I'm going to feel sorry for her when she comes tomorrow morning," she said, packing up her things.

"JJ's always had a lot of work," Reid agreed. They walked over to the elevator, pressed the button, and the doors immediately opened They both walked inside. As the elevators doors closed, Reid asked, "You don't have anyone to take you home, do you?"

"I can drive," Seaver claimed.

"I'll take you home," Reid insisted.

The next thing they knew, Reid was driving with Seaver in the passenger seat.

"Thanks for the ride," Seaver said. "I'm sure I could've gone home….somehow."

Reid smiled and glanced at her. "It's no problem," he replied. "I want to take you home."

A look from Seaver made him add, "That sounded wrong, didn't it?"

Seaver laughed it off. "It's ok," Seaver replied. "There's just so much that happened this past week, I'm a little off, too."

"I'm sorry for what happened," Reid said. He stopped the car at a red light and looked at her. "This shouldn't have happened to you."

Seaver smiled and said, "It's ok, Reid." Then she joked, "I guess I should've read the fine print when I joined the FBI."

Reid looked seriously at her. "You almost died, Ashley."

"Yeah," she replied, "Almost. But right now, I'm sitting here with you."

It was green and Reid continued driving toward her place. "You scared all of us," Reid said, his eyes still on the road.

Looking out the window, Seaver replied, "I heard some more than others."

Reid stopped the car in front of her apartment. He looked at her but didn't say anything.

Seaver looked at him and didn't say anything either. There was a moment of silence, except for the crickets chirping outside.

"I'm sorry about your father," Reid said. "I'm sorry he's still not the father you want him to be."

"I don't care anymore," she replied. "I accepted the fact that my father can't help people. It's not in his nature."

"What are you going to do about him?" Reid asked.

"Nothing," she answered simply.

"I wish I could've protected you," Reid confessed. "If I stayed behind instead of JJ-"

"Nothing would be different," Seaver interrupted. "No matter how bad we wish it was."

They were lost in each other's eyes and the world seemed still. They could only see each other and it was like nothing even mattered. They forgot about the terrifying week they just had and all the pain. They forgot what the copycat even did to her and how bad she was hurt. They forgot the father who couldn't even save his daughter's life. All they could think about was each other. They leaned toward each other, their lips only a couple inches away. The perfect moment for their first kiss together….

"I'll see you tomorrow," Reid shattered the moment. He pulled back and looked out in front of him.

"Yeah," Seaver agreed, a little disappointed. "Tomorrow."

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." — Albert Einstein


End file.
